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Mar

10

The Mocha Club ties together two communities: Africa and You. Why not encourage students and faculty at your campus to join the Mocha Club and build a team around a project that resonates with a team’s particular interest: child mothers; education; HIV/AIDS; job creation; orphan care; sudan regrowth?

Feb

11

Here’s a great resource. Mike Metzger writes an ezine that’s worth subscribing to: The Clapham Commentary from The Clapham Institute. You can register here.

Below is an example:

Eyes Wide Shut
Written by Mike Metzger
Friday, 08 December 2006

Innocently blind.

On business trips, he would spend several hours praying and reading the Bible each morning, with another round of prayers at midday. As a ship captain, he enjoyed long spells of solitude on deck, keeping a diary and recording that he knew no “calling that… affords greater advantages to an awakened mind, for promoting the life of God in the soul.” His expensive cargo required extra officers and crew, reducing his onboard responsibilities. “I never knew sweeter or more frequent hours of divine communion, than in my last two voyages to Guinea, when I was either almost secluded from society on shipboard, or when on shore… I have wandered through the woods reflecting on the singular goodness of the Lord to me.”

John Newton recorded those words while transporting African slaves and having his savings invested in the slave ship business.1 For more than thirty years after he left the slave trade, during which time Newton preached thousands of sermons, published half a dozen books, and wrote Amazing Grace and 279 other hymns, he “seems never to have heard God say a word to him against slavery.”2

Like Billy Joel, I think Newton was an innocent man. A saying among management experts today goes like this: “Your system is perfectly designed to yield the result you are getting.”3 Newton was the product of a system that “was focused on changing not the social order of his world but its spiritual life.” He “was falling more and more under the influence of the Evangelical movement.”4

Jan

29

Andy McCullough sent the following letter to ministry partners and friends. We thought it was a great idea on many fronts — relationship with partners, getting partners engaged in planting movements, balancing good news and good deeds, etc.

All

Soon you should be receiving our January letter either by snail mail or email. In the letter, I share briefly about my trip last month to South Africa and about going back next summer.

Even before I went I started dreaming about returning this coming July and inviting you all to join me. Sort of a Ministry Partners Missions project. This summer marks the twentieth anniversary of my first international project. That summer I went to Kenya and the experience changed my life. I couldn’t think of who I’d love to go back to Africa with that those of who partner with Robin and I through your prayers and gifts.

Here’s some basic info of this opportunity…·Tentatively, we would leave July 18th (a Friday) and return on the morning of July 28th (a Monday).

I would reserve tickets for our group and we would all meet up at Dulles Intl Airport in DC and fly together. (Those of us from CO we would fly to Dulles from Denver together.)

For the week of 21st we would serve Beam ministry as they ministry to orphans and the poor. I’d love to have…

1. People from medical community so we could set up either a medical clinic or dental clinic or both.

2. Anyone with computer skills that could teach basic skills in their computer lab.

3. Someone with small business skills to train some adults how to start up their own business.

4. Anyone who could help minister to kids whether through a program like VBS or just loving on them. So teachers or anyone who just loves kids.

5. Anyone willing to serve in any way. We will

We would spend some time too encouraging the Campus Crusade project that will be there that month.

We also would go on a safari one day and visit an African church too.

I am still working on the actual costs. I have found that plane tickets in July are rather expensive so it may cost somewhere between $2500 and 3000. Our Church here in Boulder is setting this up as one our mission trips so you can raise support and people can get a tax deduction.

So… would prayerfully consider going with me this summer for 10 days to South Africa? If I did this right, there should be voting options on the email. If you are at all interested please let me know.

Jan

8

Our Crossroads Ministry just opened up significant discussions with several growing movements among college students who want to make a difference in the AIDS pandemic. One movement that has partnered with World Vision and now IV is Acting on AIDS*. Our ministries at several locations have already helped start effective partnership with Acting on AIDS. Explore their website.

*Acting on AIDS is a program started by Christian college students to create awareness and promote activism on the global AIDS pandemic at colleges and universities across the nation. With the support of World Vision, Christian college students have formed a broad network of Acting on AIDS groups on college campuses that seeks to change hearts on campuses, create awareness in communities, and advocate for those affected by the global AIDS pandemic.